Defences
When a person pleads not guilty to a criminal offence, they must advance a defence. This may be a legal defence, such as self-defence, necessity or duress, or a factual defence such as the existence of an alibi or arguing that the accused was mistakenly identified.
In order for a person to be found guilty of a criminal offence, the prosecution must prove them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. However, when the defence raises certain defences, the burden of proof is shifted. For instance, when the defence advances the defence of insanity, it bears the burden of proving that the defence applies. If a court is not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that a defence does not apply, it must find the accused not guilty.
This section of the site contains information on criminal defences.
About Armstrong Legal
Having more than 30 years of experience, Armstrong Legal has been helping Australians manage serious legal matters, and we're a national law firm guided by a genuine focus on every client's interests. We have earned awards from 2021 to 2025 for our criminal and traffic law work, aligning with our ongoing reputation for quality and devotion to excellence.
We handle more than 1,000 criminal and traffic matters each year, with lawyers who appear in Court almost daily and bring practical, real-world experience to a wide range of cases. Our team can provide legal guidance for matters like assault offences, drug charges, fraud and more, so you can be confident you're in good hands if you're searching for "dangerous driving lawyer", "traffic lawyer parramatta" or "first offence drug driving QLD".
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